'^^^iy  *Ja^/t^  M  Jf^an^;^. 


/, 


//.  '^i 


PRINCETON  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINI5RY 


BY    THE    HEIRS    OK    THE    LATE 


Iprotessor  Ibenrg  Carrinflton  aiejanOer,  S).2).,  XIL.D. 
BX    9225    .A24    16    1853 

In  memoriam  [William  Adger] 


Charleston  Coukiek,  Dec.  15,  1853. 


DEATH  OF  WILLIAM  AD  GEE,  Esq. 

It  is  our  melaDcholy  duty  this  morniug, 
to  announce  the  death  of  William  Adger, 
Esq.,  fourth  son  of  James  Adger,  Esq., 
and  one  of  the  most  esteemed  merchants 
of  this  city,  which  occurred,  as  the  Tele- 
graph informs  us,  at  New-York  yesterday. 

Mr.  Adger  had  left  us  some  two  or 
three  weeks  since,  on  an  excursion,  partly 
for  business  purposes  and  partly  for  recrea- 
tion, in  the  full  enjoyment  of  health,  and 
the  intelligence  of  his  death,  after  a  brief 
illness,  has  plunged  his  family  and  friends 
into  the  deepest  distress,  for  which  they 
have  the  heartfelt  sympathies  of  our  whole 
community,  in  which  the  deceased  stood 
deservedly  high.     He  was  in  the  prime  of 


^ 


life — being  in  his  thirty-sixth  year — and 
treading  in  the  footsteps  of  his  venerable 
and  excellent  father,  now,  although  at  a 
very  advanced  age,  holding  the  most  pro- 
minent rank  among  the  active  and  ener- 
getic of  our  resident  merchants,  was  iden- 
tified with  every  thing  connected  with  the 
business  and  prosperity  of  our  city. 

Quiet  and  unobtrusive  in  his  deport- 
ment, Mr.  Adger  was  ever  most  assiduously 
engaged  in  the  active  duties  of  life.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
of  which  he  was  an  Elder  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  and  as  President  for  many  years 
of  the  Eagle  Fire  Company,  rendered  dis- 
tinguished services  in  the  fire  department 
of  our  city — a  department  to  which  we  are 
all  so  much  indebted  for  our  safety  and 
security.  He  was,  also,  characterized  for 
his  liberal  and  unostentatious  charities, 
and  was  most  emphatically  a  true  friend  to 
the  deserving;  and,  although  naturally, 
this  sad  bereavement  will  more  severely 
afflict  the  immediate  family  circle,  who 
best  know  how  to  appreciate  the  extent  of 


tlie  calamity  that  has  befallen  them,  yet 
there  are  many  others  who  will  long  re- 
member his  numerous  acts  of  pure  and 
disinterested  friendship. 


Charleston  Evening  News,  Dec.  15,  1853. 


DEATH   OF   WILLIAM  ADGER,  Esq. 

It  is  witli  painful  feelings  that  we  have 
to  record  the  death  of  "William  Adgee, 
Esq.,  fourth  son  of  James  Adger,  Esq.,  of 
this  city.  The  deceased  was  in  his  thirty- 
sixth  year,  and  was  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile profession,  of  which  he  was  a  very 
useful  member.  Having  visited  New- York 
about  six  weeks  since,  his  death  has  been 
as  unexpected  as  it  has  been  afflicting  and 
sorrowful,  to  a  large  circle  of  friends  and 
connections.  To  his  immediate  relatives, 
on  whom  this  calamity  has  fallen  with  re- 
doubled force,  a  sympathising  community 
offers  that  silent  condolence  which  is  the 
best  evidence  of  general  feeling,  and  a 
just  tribute  to  the  virtues  of  the  deceased. 


By  his  aged  parents  particularly,  this 
bereavement  will  be  felt  most  keenly.  As 
a  sou,  Mr.  Adger  was  all  that  parental  love 
could  desire  or  picture.  In  the  relations 
of  husband,  father  and  friend,  his  affec- 
tions were  warm  and  unrelaxed,  while  his 
kindly  disposition  was  felt  in  all  the  de- 
partments of  his  household. 

Mr.  Adgee  was,  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
an  Elder  of  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church,  where  his  religious  services  were 
gratefully  recognized ;  while,  as  President 
for  many  years  of  the  Eagle  Fire  Com- 
pany, of  this  city,  his  duties  were  per- 
formed with  that  zeal  which  manifested  a 
lively  sense  of  the  duties  of  the  citizen. 

As  a  testimonial  of  respect  to  the  me- 
mory of  the  deceased,  the  different  Fire 
Companies,  which  assembled  for  annual 
inspection  this  morning,  after  meeting  on 
the  ground  were  dismissed,  and  retired  to 
their  liomes  with  muffled  drums. 


Charleston  Courier,  Dec.  19,  1853. 


FUNERAL  OF  THE  LATE  WM.  ADGER,  Esq. 


The  remains  of  this  estimable  gentle- 
man and  useful  citizen,  reached  this  place 
yesterday  morning,  in  the  steamer  Union, 
from  New- York,  and  were  interred,  in  the 
evening,  in  the  cemetery  of  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church,  (of  which  Mr.  A. 
was  a  Ruling  Elder,)  amidst  a  large  num- 
ber of  weejDing  relatives  and  sorrowing 
citizens. 

The  spacious  church,  in  which  the  fune- 
ral services  were  performed,  was  filled  to 
overflowing ;  and,  among  those  who  thus 
paid  the  last  tribute  to  departed  worth, 
were  the  Mayor  and  other  officers  of  the 
city  government,  and  the  members  of  the 
fii-e  department,  of  which  the  deceased 
was  a  most  active  and  efficient  officer. 


9 

The  funeral  discourse  was  pronounced 
by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Buttolph,  assistant  minis- 
ter of  the  churcli,  who,  in  the  course  of 
his  remarks,  gave  a  strong  and  vivid  por- 
traiture of  the  character  and  career  of  the 
deceased,  as  an  intelligent  and  successful 
merchant,  an  active  public  officer,  a  true 
Christian,  and  an  unostentatious  philan- 
thropist. 

The  discourse  was  followed  by  a  solemn, 
affecting  and  most  eloquent  address,  from 
the  Eeverend  Thomas  Smyth,  D.D.,  (the 
brother-in-law  of  the  deceased,)  for  more 
than  twenty  years  the  learned,  laborious 
and  zealous  Pastor  of  the  consresfation, 
but  who,  for  some  months  j^ast,  has  been 
suffering  from  the  effects  of  a  paralytic  at- 
tack, and  been  thereby  disabled  from  offi- 
ciating in  the  services  of  the  sanctuary. 
On  this  occasion,  however,  the  reverend 
gentleman  seemed  borne  away  by  his  feel- 
ings of  brotherly  affection,  and  to  be  in- 
spired with  a  power  and  kindled  with  a 
fervor  of  eloquence,  rarely  surpassed  in  his 
palmiest  days  of  health  and  strength. 


10 

The  ceremonial,  in  the  church,  was  closed 
with  a  most  fervent  and  affecting  prayer, 
by  the  same  clergyman,  and  a  suitable 
hymn  by  the  choir  ;  after  which  the  body 
of  the  deceased  was  committed  to  the 
grave,  with  every  testimonial  of  respect 
and  sorrow  from  surrounding  relatives  and 
friends. 


Southern  Presbytekian,  Charleston,  Dec.  22,  1853. 


DEATH  OF  WILLIAM  ADGER,  Esq. 

The  wholly  unexpected  deatli  of  this 
gentleman,  whicli  occurred  on  Wednesday 
of  last  week  in  New-York,  has  plunged 
his  family  and  friends  into  the  deepest  dis- 
tress, and  spread  a  gloom  over  our  com- 
munity. Mr.  Adger  was  the  fourth  son  of 
James  Adger,  Esq.,  a  prominent  and  well 
known  merchant  of  this  city.  In  the  full 
enjoyment  of  health,  he  left  us  but  re- 
cently for  New- York,  accompanied  by 
Mrs.  Adger.  There  he  was  taken  ill  and 
died. 

The  death  of  such  a  man  is  a  public 
calamity.  In  the  prime  of  his  life — before 
he  had  completed  his  thirty-sixth  year — 


12 

and  in  the  midst  of  a  higli  career  of  useful- 
ness, the  summons  came ! 

At  a  very  early  age  he  made  a  profes- 
sion of  religion,  and  to  the  day  of  his 
death  adorned  that  profession  by  a  godly 
walk  and  conversation.  He  was  an  Elder 
in  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  was 
Superintendent  also  of  the  Sabbath  School, 
and  an  active  and  liberal  supporter  of  all 
the  benevolent  operations  in  which  that 
church  is  engaged.  He  was  prominent  also 
as  a  merchant ;  and,  for  several  years,  had 
been  President  of  the  Eagle  Fire  Company, 
to  whose  distinguished  services,  in  the  pro- 
tection of  life  and  property,  our  citizens 
are  so  much  indebted.  He  was  also,  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  Treasurer  of  the  Bible 
Society  of  this  city,  and  connected  with 
various  other  organizations  for  useful  and 
benevolent  purposes.  Truly  a  great  loss 
has  been  sustained,  a  wide  void  has  been 
made. 

By  this  decree  of  His  Providence,  God 
proclaims  at  once  the  inscrutable  nature  of 


his  designs,  and  solemnly  warns—"  Be  ye 
also  ready. ^^ 

Our  deepest  sympathies  are  with  his 
bereaved  family,  his  aged  parents  and 
other  sorrowing  friends.  And  may  there 
be  speedily  reared  up  others,  on  whom  his 
mantle  of  piety  and  usefulness  may  fall. 


THE  BEREAVED  SABBATH  SCHOOL. 

The  following  preamble  and  resolutions 
were  unanimously  adopted  at  a  meeting 
of  the  teachers  of  the  Sabbath  School, 
connected  with  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church,  in  this  city,  at  the  close  of  the  ex- 
ercises on  Sabbath  morning  last : 

We  are  called  together,  this  morning,  to 
give  expression  to  the  deep  and  painful 
feelings  of  our  hearts,  caused  by  the  sud- 
den death  of  our  able  and  beloved  Super- 
intendent, Mr.  William  Adger,  while 
away  from  us  and  his  family,  on  a  visit  to 
New-York.     Not  a  month  ago,  he  left  us 


14 

in  the  prime  of  life  and  the  full  enjoyment 
of  health,  expecting  before  this  to  have 
returned  and  engaged  again  in  the  work  of 
his  Divine  Master,  in  which  his  soul  de- 
lighted. Our  Heavenly  Father  willed  it 
otherwise ;  but  we  confidently  trust  that 
our  loss  has  been  his  eternal  gain — that 
having  left  this  world  of  sorrow,  he  has 
entered  into  the  joy  of  our  Lord,  in  the 
house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the 
heavens. 

It  is  a  loud  call  to  us  to  be  up  and 
doing,  not  knowing  the  day  or  the  hour 
when  the  Son  of  Man  cometh.  It  tells  us, 
man  appoints,  but  God  controls  ;  but,  as  a 
Sabbath  School,  we  feel  deeply  this  trying 
dispensation  of  God's  overruling  provi- 
dence.    Therefore,  be  it 

Resolved^  That  in  the  death  of  our  able, 
energetic  and  beloved  Superintendent,  Mr. 
William  Adgee,  our  school  has  lost  an 
efficient  guide,  a  judicious  adviser,  a  tried 
friend  and  advocate,  a  cheerful  benefactor, 
and  a  zealous  co-worker. 


15 

Resolved,  That  as  teachers,  we  in  an 
especial  manner  deplore  his  loss,  for,  en- 
couraged as  we  were  by  his  Christian  ad- 
monitions, and  incited  by  his  consistent 
example  in  the  discharge  of  our  duty,  we 
truly  know  not  where  to  find  one  to  fill 
his  place  with  like  satisfaction  and  edifica- 
tion to  all. 

Resolved,  That  in  the  death  of  William 
Adger,  the  children  of  this  school  have 
lost  a  sincere  and  sympathizing  friend, 
and  a  judicious  counsellor. 

Resolved,  That  we  deeply  sympathize 
with  our  beloved  Pastor,  and  the  Session 
of  the  Church,  in  this  afilictive  dispensa- 
tion, by  which  they  are  deprived  of  a  most 
efficient  supporter,  and  a  most  useful  mem- 
ber. 

Resolved,  That  we  tender  our  warmest 
sympathy  to  the  afflicted  widow  and  be- 
reaved children,  and  the  sorrowing  family 
of  our  lamented  brother,  and  earnestly 
commend  them  to  Him  who  alone  can  pour 
the  oil  of  consolation  into  their  wounded 
spirits. 


16 


Mesolved^  That  this  preamble  and  these 
resolutions  be  entered  on  our  minutes,  and 
a  blank  page  be  inscribed  to  his  memory — 
and  that  a  copy  be  sent  to  his  parents  and 
widow,  and  a  copy  be  furnished  the  Ses- 
sion of  the  Church. 

Resolved^  That  the  above  proceedings 
be  published  in  the  Southern  Presbyterian. 


Southern  Presbyterian,  Dec.  29,  1853. 


At  a  meeting  of  tlie  Session  of  tlie 
Second  Presbyterian  Churcli,  held  on  the 
25th  instant,  William  C.  Dukes,  Esq.,  after 
paying  a  very  touching  and  appropriate 
tribute  to  the  memory  of  the  late  William 
Adger,  introduced  the  following  pre- 
amble and  resolutions,  which  were  unani- 
mously adopted : 

The  afflictive  dispensation  of  Provi- 
dence, which  has  so  recently  visited  this 
congregation,  in  the  death  of  William 
Adgee,  calls  upon  us,  the  members 
of  the  Session  of  this  Church,  to  humble 
ourselves  before  Almighty  God,  and  to 
lament  the  stroke  which  has  removed  from 
this  body  one  whose  Christian  character 
and  counsels  endeared  him  to  our  hearts, 


18 

and   made   him    eminently  useful  to  this 
church. 

While  we  mourn  his  loss,  we  mourn  not 
without  hope,  feeling  confident  that  al- 
though no  longer  a  member  of  the  church 
militant  on  earth,  he  is  a  member  of  the 
church  triumphant  in  heaven,  and  that  he 
has  left  these  lower  courts  and  this  earthly 
sanctuary  to  join  "the  general  assembly 
and  church  of  the  first  born,  which  are 
written  in  heaven." 

It  does  not  become  us,  in  this  present 
affliction,  to  attempt  to  fathom  the  pur- 
poses of  Him  whose  "judgments  are  un- 
searchable, and  his  ways  past  finding  out." 

We  are  assured  that  though  "  clouds  and 
darkness  are  round  about  Him,  righteous- 
ness and  judgment  are  the  habitation  of 
His  throne." 

While  we,  therefore,  bow  in  humble 
resignation  to  the  will  of  God,  we  desire, 
at  the  same  time,  as  the  Session  of  this 
Church,  to  bear  our  testimony  to  the  worth 
and  Christian  character  of  our  departed 
brother. 


19 

As  a  member  of  this  Session,  he  was 
wise  in  counsel,  consistent  in  life,  and  de- 
votedly attached  to  the  interests  of  this 
church. 

In  his  death,  the  Session  has  lost  an 
efficient  member,  the  church  a  pious  Elder, 
and  the  Sabbath  School  a  faithful  Superin- 
tendent and  friend.     Be  it,  therefore, 

Resolved^  That  this  Session  mourns, 
with  unaffected  grief,  the  death  of  Wil- 
liam Adger,  as  a  loss  to  the  Session 
and  Church,  of  which  he  was  an  active 
member. 

Resolved^  That  we  will  long  hold  in 
grateful  remembrance  his  labors  in  be- 
half of  this  Church,  and  his  fidelity  to  the 
cause  of  Christ. 

Resolved^  That  in  the  character  of  our 
lamented  brother  we  behold  the  power  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  to  mould  and  fashion  the 
human  heart  for  his  own  abode,  and  that 
in  his  death,  we  see  the  strength  of  faith 
to  overcome  every  difficulty,  and  the  con- 


20 

solations  of  the  gospel  to  support  the  soul 
in  the  dying  hour. 

Resolved^  That  we  sympathize  deeply 
with  the  bereaved  family  and  relatives  of 
the  deceased,  and  assure  them  that  in  their 
af&ictiou  we  also  are  afflicted,  in  their  sor- 
row we  share  a  part. 

Hesolmd^  That  these  resolutions  be  in- 
scribed upon  the  records  of  this  Church. 

Resolved^  That  a  copy  of  these  resolu- 
tions be  sent  to  the  afflicted  family  and 
parents  of  the  deceased,  and  that  they  be 
published  in  the  Southern  Presbyterian  of 
this  city. 


Charleston  Daily  Papers,  Dec.  27,  18o3. 


TRIBUTE  OF  RESPECT. 

At  a  meeting  of  tlie  Board  of  Mana- 
gers of  the  Bible  Society  of  Charleston, 
held  at  the  Depository  on  Friday  after- 
noon, the  23rd  instant,  the  following  pre- 
amble and  resolutions  were  unanimously 
passed : 

Since  we  last  assembled,  one  who,  for 
the  past  ten  years,  has  faithfully  and  zeal- 
ously served  this  Society  as  Treasurer,  has 
labored  to  extend  its  usefulness,  and  has 
devoted  his  time,  means  and  influence 
to  the  dissemination  of  the  sacred  scrip- 
tures, has,  by  the  decree  of  an  all-w^ise  and 
gracious  God,  been  summoned  to  his  ser- 
vice above,  where  he  will  realize  the 
promises  so  plainly  recorded  in  the  pre- 


22 

cious  gospel,  whicli  it  was  his^  ardent  de- 
sire to  impart  to  his  fellow-creatures. 

It  is  our  sad  privilege  to  dwell  upon 
that  generous  and  benevolent  feeling 
which  always  actuated  him,  that  mild,  pa- 
tient and  obliging  deportment  which  was 
his  characteristic,  that  sincere  and  true 
piety  which  guided  his  actions  and  words, 
and  mourn  over  the  departure  of  him  in 
the  midst  of  his  active  usefulness. 

But  while  we  mourn,  it  is  not  without 
an  assured  belief  that  he  has  exchanged 
the  trials  of  a  mortal  life  for  a  hapjDy  and 
immortal  one  in  heaven. 

Resolved^  That  in  the  death  of  our  late 
Treasurer,  Mr.  William  Adgee,  our  Soci- 
ety has  been  deprived  of  the  services  of  a 
faithful,  zealous  and  efficient  officer,  the 
church  of  a  sincerely  j^ious  Christian,  and 
our  community  of  a  virtuous,  useful  and 
good  man. 

Resolved^  That  we  deeply  sympathize 
with  his  bereaved  and  respected  widow, 
and  his   afflicted   and  aged  parents,  and 


23 

earnestly  pray  that  God  will  pour  into 
their  wounded  hearts  the  oil  of  consola- 
tion. 

Resolved^  That  a  copy  of  these  proceed- 
ings be  sent,  by  the  President,  to  his  wid- 
ow and  parents,  and  that  they  be  pub- 
lished in  the  daily  papers  of  this  city. 

DANL.  RAVENEL,  President. 
GrEo.  M.  Coffin,  Recording  Secretary. 


Charleston  Daily  Papers,  Dec.  20,  1853. 


TRIBUTE  OF  RESPECT. 

Planters'  and  Mechanics'  Bank,  ) 
Charleston,  Dec.  I7th,  1853  .     j 

At  a  meeting  of  tlie  Directors,  held 
this  day, 

The  President,  on  taking  the  chair,  an- 
nounced to  them  as  a  Board,  the  event 
which  they  had  all,  as  individuals,  learnt 
with  so  much  pain,  since  their  last  meet- 
ing, the  death  of  a  highly  valued  friend 
and  colleague,  William  Adger.  Where- 
upon it  was 

Resolved^  unanimously^  That  the  mem- 
bers of  this  Board  have  received  with 
sorrow  the  intelligence  of  the  death  of 
William  Adgee. 

This  mournful  event  took  place  in  a  dis- 


25 

tant  city,  during  an  absence  from  home, 
whicli  he  intended  to  be  short.  He  has 
passed  away  in  the  prime  of  life  and  in 
the  midst  of  usefulness ;  fulfilling  the  ex- 
pectations and  possessing  the  love  of  a 
large  circle  of  relatives  and  friends,  to 
most  of  whom,  in  the  wise  providence  of 
God,  the  sad,  yet  mutually  gratifying 
offices  of  the  dying  hour,  were  not  per- 
mitted. 

Mr.  Adger  had  been  upwards  of  twelve 
years  a  member  of  this  Board.  He  be- 
came associated  with  us  at  an  early  age, 
and  our  esteem  and  regard  for  him  had 
increased  with  lensrth  of  intercourse.  He 
brought  to  the  business  and  duties  of  life 
a  strong  and  well  informed  mind ;  modest 
in  deportment,  mild  in  manners,  sincere  in 
disposition,  and  cautious  in  judgment,  his 
worth  gave  value  to  his  experience  and 
soundness  to  his  counsels. 

We  sympathize  deeply  with  his  bereaved 
family  and  relatives — with  them  we  rejoice 
in  the  belief  that  his  character  and  hopes 
were  formed  upon  an  early  and  humble 


26 

piety ;  and  with  them  we  trust  that  his 
earthly  relations,  so  unexpectedly  and 
painfully  sundered,  have  been  exchanged 
for  the  higher  and  happier  relations  of  a 
better  life. 


Resolved^  That  the  President  be  re- 
quested to  enclose  to  the  respected  widow, 
and  the  venerable  father  of  the  deceased, 
a  copy  of  the  foregoing  resolution. 

Resolved^  also,  That  these  resolutions 
be  published. 

Extract  from  the  minutes. 

DANL.  RAVENEL,  President. 


Charleston  Daily  Papers,  Dec.  19,  1853. 


TRIBUTE  OF  RESPECT. 

At  an  extra  meeting  of  the  Eagle  Fire 
Engine  Company,  held  on  Friday  evening, 
the  16th  inst.,  the  following  preamble  and 
resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted : 

Never  have  we  been  called  to  make  a 
more  melancholy  record  than  that  which 
now  devolves  upon  us.  The  intelligence 
has  reached  us,  that  our  fellow-member, 
and  late  President,  William  Adger,  has 
departed  this  life. 

The  death  of  scarcely  any  other  citizen 
would  have  been  so  deeply  felt  in  the  va- 
rious relations  of  the  community,  commer- 
cial, social  and  religious. 

Although  he  had  just  attained  the  meri- 
dian of  his  days,  he  had  yet,  by  his  intelli- 


28 

gence,  his  integrity,  his  energy  of  character, 
his  purity  of  morals,  his  fervent  piety,  and 
his  generous  devotion  to  all  enterprises  of 
general  good,  acquired  an  influence,  and 
won  for  himself  a  position  which  few, 
even  the  more  gifted  and  successful  among 
men,  are  able  to  achieve  by  a  long  and  la- 
borious life. 

But  while  we  deplore  his  untimely  death, 
as  a  calamity  to  the  public,  we  can  but 
feel  that  upon  our  body  the  blow  has  fallen 
with  esj)ecial  severity.  Born  and  reared 
among  us,  identified  for  sixteen  years  with 
all  our  interests,  perils  and  enjoyments, 
always  prompt  in  duty,  affable  in  his  man- 
ners, sincere  in  his  professions,  uniting  in 
rare  harmony  and  beauty  the  courtesy  of 
the  gentleman,  the  genial  warmth  of  a 
faithful  friend,  and  the  bland  dignity  of 
the  devout  Christian,  it  is  not  strange  that 
we  mourn  his  loss  as  a  personal  bereave- 
ment to  each  member  of  our  company,  and 
as  a  link  broken  in  the  bonds  of  our 
brotherhood,  which  we  know  not  how  or 
when  is  ever  to  be  re-placed. 


29 

We  forbear  to  say  more.  He  needs  no  eu- 
logy,and  words  avail  not  to  soothe  the  griefs 
of  many  hearts.  We  will  endeavor  to  bow 
in  resignation  to  the  will  of  Almighty  God, 
who  has  appointed  this  affliction ;  at  the 
same  time  we  would  pledge  ourselves  to 
renewed  exertions  and  endeavors  to  follow 
in  the  footsteps  of  our  departed  brother, 
whose  name  and  virtues  shall  long  remain 
imbedded  among  the  most  cherished  recol- 
lections of  our  souls,  so  that  the  career  of 
each  of  us  may  be,  like  his,  one  of  useful- 
ness and  honor,  and  ours  too  a  glorious  re- 
ward in  heaven.     Therefore — 

Resolved^  That  we  deeply  sympathize 
with  the  wife  and  family,  and  the  aged 
parents  of  our  deceased  brother,  in  this 
their  sore  affliction,  and  trust  that  they 
will  cherish,  as  a  healing  balm  to  their 
hearts,  the  glorious  reality,  that  he  is  not 
"  dead,"  but  only  "  asleep  "  in  Jesus. 

Resolved^  That  a  blank  page  in  our 
minute  book  be  inscribed  with  his  name, 
age,  and  date  of  his  death,   in  testimonial 


30 

of  the  high  esteem  in  which  we  held  him 
while  living  and  the  respect  we  cherish  for 
his  memory. 

He-solved^  That  a  copy  of  these  proceed- 
ings be  furnished  the  family  of  the  de- 
ceased, and  be  published  in  the  various 
gazettes  of  this  city. 

CHAS.  H.  BECKMANN, 

Secretary. 


Charleston  Daily  Papers,  Dec.  23,  1853. 


TRIBUTE  OF  RESPECT. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Fire  Mas- 
ters, held  on  the  21st  instant,  the  following 
preamble  and  resolutions  were  unanimously 
adopted : 

But  a  few  days  has  elapsed  since  we 
were  overwhelmed  by  the  mournful  intel- 
ligence that  our  friend  and  associate,  Wm. 
Adger,  was  no  more. 

But  a  few  weeks  ago  he  left  us  in  the 
prime  of  his  manhood,  in  the  enjoyment 
of  health,  and  with  a  reasonable  hope  of 
a  long,  active  and  useful  life. 

Possessing,  in  an  eminent  degree,  great 
practical  talents,  united  with  an  amiable 
disposition  and  a  generous  and  noble  heart, 
illustrating  in  a  living  example,  the  con- 


32 

sistency  and  power  of  a  true  Christian 
character,  he  won  the  confidence  and  es- 
teem of  all  who  knew  hiro. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Adger  is  a  great  pub- 
lic calamity ;  his  activity  and  energy  as  a 
citizen,  his  intelligence  and  integrity  as  a 
merchant,  his  fidelity  and  constancy  as  a 
friend,  and  his  self-denying  devotion  as  a 
Christian,  was  not  surpassed  by  any  in  our 
community,  and  his  loss  will  be  mournfully 
felt  in  every  department  of  life. 

But  while  we  may  not  murmur  at  the 
Providence  whose  wisdom  cannot  err  and 
whose  goodness  precludes  all  possibility  of 
unkindness,  we  may  be  permitted  to  bear 
our  testimony  to  the  ennobling  virtues  of 
our  deceased  associate  and  friend,  and 
mourn  in  the  bitterness  of  grief  for  our 
irreparable  loss.     Be  it,  therefore, 

Resol/ved^  That  the  members  of  this 
Board  deplore  with  unaffected  and  heart- 
felt sorrow,  the  untimely  death  of  their 
late  friend  and  associate,  William  Adger. 


33 

JRe-solved^  That  for  liis  fidelity  in  friend- 
*  .        .         • 
ship,  his  amiable,  generous  and  Christian 

character,  and  for  the  exhibition  of  all 
those  virtues  which  adorn  and  ennoble  hu- 
manity, we  admired  him  as  a  man  and 
loved  him  as  a  brother. 

Resolved^  That  a  page  of  our  record 
book  be  inscribed  with  his  name,  as  a  last- 
ing memorial  of  our  regard  while  living, 
and  profound  respect  for  his  memory. 

Resolved^  That  although  we  may  not 
intrude  upon  the  sorrows  of  his  family  and 
relatives,  yet  we  deeply  sympathize  with 
them  in  this  sudden  and  heavy  bereave- 
ment. 

Resolved^  That  a  copy  of  these  proceed- 
ings be  sent  to  the  afflicted  widow  and 
venerable  father  of  the  deceased,  and  that 
they  be  published  in  the  daily  journals  of 
the  city. 

From  the  minutes. 

F.  N.  BONNEAU, 
Clerk  and  Sup'dt  of  Engines, 

Board  Fire  Masters. 


EXTKACTS  FROM  FuNERAL  SeRMON  OF  ReV.  D.  L.  BuTTOLFH, 

Sunday,  Dec.  18,  1853. 


A  GOOD  man  is  taken  out  of  the  world. 
While  lie  lived,  lie  was  the  centre  of  influ- 
ence ;  he  was  righteous  in  the  sight  of  God 
and  merciful  in  the  sight  of  man ;  he  was 
pious,  beneficent  and  wise  ;  he  was  a  bless- 
ing to  his  family,  to  the  church,  to  the 
community,  to  the  world.  In  the  fulness 
of  his  strength  he  is  stricken  down — in 
the  midst  of  his  usefulness  he  is  taken 
away.  While  his  heart  is  devising  liberal 
things,  the  Spoiler  comes  and  lays  his  icy 
hand  upon  him,  and  changes  his  counten- 
ance, and  sends  him  away.  An  arrest  is 
put  upon  his  influence — a  sudden  stop  is 
put  to  enterprises  of  great  pith  and  mo- 
ment. The  streams  of  mercy  and  benefi- 
cence are  dried  up  at  the   fountain.     A 


35 

blank  is  created  in  the  community,  and 
for  a  time  the  world  looks  desolate  and 
lonely. 

No  wonder  that  the  prophet  felt  sad  at 
the  spectacle  of  the  death  of  a  good  man, 
and  poured  forth  his  thoughts  in  the  mea- 
sured cadence  of  a  funeral  dirge — "  The 
righteous  perisheth  and  no  man  layeth  it 
to  heart,  and  merciful  men  are  taken 
away ;  none  considering  that  the  righteous 
is  taken  from  the  evil  to  come." 

And  well  may  we,  my  brethren,  ex- 
change our  garments  for  sack-cloth  and  sit 
in  the  dust,  and  pour  forth  wailing  lamen- 
tation and  bitter  cries,  if  the  sad  bereave- 
ment which,  within  the  last  week,  has 
afflicted  this  community,  this  church,  this 
people,  and  touched  all  hearts,  and  caused 
eyes  unused  to  weep,  to  fill  with  tears — if, 
I  say,  this  bereavement,  in  which  so  many 
hearts  sympathize,  is  suffered  to  pass  with- 
out improvement  and  deep  consideration. 
I  speak  the  language  of  truth  and  sober- 
ness, I  cast  no  disparagement  upon  any, 
when  I  say  that  no  one  could  have  been 


36 

taken  from  this  community,  whose  loss 
would  have  been  more  generally  and 
deeply  felt  than  that  of  him  whose  death 
we  now  deplore.  In  the  walks  of  active 
business,  where  Mr.  Adger  moved  with 
energy,  promptness  and  despatch,  where 
he  acquired  wealth,  honor  and  the  esteem 
of  all  who  knew  him,  where  his  influence 
was  felt,  his  counsel  prized  and  his  business 
talents  fully  known  and  appreciated,  there 
he  will  be  missed. 

Few  men  possess  that  combination  of 
business  talents  and  qualities  which  Mr. 
AdgePw  possessed.  To  soundness  of  judg- 
ment, coolness,  prudence  and  forethought, 
were  joined  energy,  activity  and  persever- 
ance in  a  remarkable  degree.  In  addition 
to  these  qualities  which  placed  him  in  the 
front  rank  of  business  men,  he  possessed 
other  and  nobler  virtues,  which  elevated 
him  ftxr  above  the  mere  routine  of  active 
life,  and  won  for  him  a  reputation  more 
valuable  than  the  wealth  of  the  Indies. 
For  integrity,  honor,  consistency  and  a 
strict  regard  for  truth  and  justice,  who  in 


37 

this  commuuity  stood  higher  than  the  sub- 
ject of  these  remarks  !  But  it  is  not  only 
in  the  walks  of  business  and  the  marts  of 
trade  that  Mr.  Adger's  death  will  be  la- 
mented. The  safety  and  security  of  life 
and  property  are  affected  by  the  decease 
of  one  who  held  a  responsible  post  and 
rendered  important  services  in  the  Fire 
Department  of  this  city.  The  gloom  that 
settled  over  the  different  fire  companies  in 
this  city,  when  the  intelligence  arrived 
that  he  who  had  inspired  them  with  cool- 
ness and  courage  in  the  hour  of  danger,  in 
the  battle  with  the  elements,  was  no  more, 
proves  how  highly  his  services  in  that  de- 
partment were  valued,  and  what  a  loss  his 
death  has  been  to  this  city.  And  need  I 
say  to  any  here  present  that,  in  the  death 
of  Mr.  Adgee,  the  needy  and  the  distressed 
have  lost  an  invaluable  friend  and  helper. 
Unostentatious  in  his  charities,  the  world 
knows  not  the  extent  or  the  frequency  of 
his  alms-deeds.  But  they  are  recorded  in 
heaven  ;  they  are  held  in  grateful  remem- 
brance by  those  whose  wants  he  has  re- 


38 

lieved,  and  from  many  a  bended  knee  and 
secret  closet  lias  gone  up  the  petition  that 
tlie  richest  of  heaven's  blessings  might 
rest  upon  him.  In  his  charities,  as  in 
every  thing  else,  Mr.  Adger  was  governed 
by  principle  and  not  by  blind  impulse,  and 
the  streams  of  his  beneficence  and  charity 
were  directed  where,  in  his  judgment, 
they  would  relieve  the  most  distress  and 
accomplish  the  most  good. 

But  to  the  church,  to  this  church,  more 
particularly,  the  death  of  Mr.  Adger  is  an 
irreparable  loss.  Here  his  affections  were 
garnered.  He  loved  these  gates  of  Zion. 
He  gave  to  this  church  the  dew  of  his 
youth  and  the  mature  strength  of  his  riper 
years.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
holding  the  office  of  Ruling  Elder  of  this 
church  and  Superintendent  of  the  Sabbath 
School.  You  who  were  associated  with 
him  in  the  o^overnment  of  this  church,  and 
you  who  were  associated  with  him  in  the 
Sabbath  school,  know  well  how  faithfully 
and  assiduously  and  conscientiously  he  dis- 
charged   the    duties    of    these    separate 


39 

spheres  of  usefulness.  -But  in  that  large 
family  circle  in  which  he  was  a  most  be- 
loved and  dearly  cherished  object  of  affec- 
tion, what  a  chasm !  what  a  void  !  has  his 
death  produced.  This  is  too  sacred  ground 
for  me  to  tread.  These  wounds  are  too 
tender  to  be  touched.  May  the  God  of 
mercy  apply  balm  to  those  crushed  and 
bruised  hearts.  May  he  assuage  the  bit- 
terness of  the  parent's  grief!  May  he 
support  the  widow  in  her  loneliness  and 
desolation  !  May  he  be  the  Father  of 
those  fatherless  children  !  And  from  the 
inexhaustible  fulness  of  his  infinite  love, 
may  he  supply  all  these  afEicted  and  be- 
reaved relatives  and  friends  with  such  sup- 
port and  comfort,  that  they  may  bear  up 
with  Christian  resignation,  under  this  se- 
vere trial,  and  say,  with  one  of  old — ■ 
"  Though  he  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in 
him." 

Our  departed  brother  knew  what  afflic- 
tion was.  Not  long  ago — it  was  only  a 
few  months  since — he  sat  in  that  seat  over- 
whelmed with  grief  for  the  loss  of  a  be- 


40 

loved  cliild.  You  who  then  beheld  him, 
saw  that  his  heart  was  well  nigh  broken 
by  the  blow,  and  you  who  saw  him  after 
time  had  somewhat  assuaged  the  bitter- 
ness of  his  grief,  knew  by  his  changed 
countenance  and  subdued  voice,  that  the 
iron  had  entered  his  soul,  and  that  it 
needed  but  little  to  open  those  wounds 
again  and  awaken  fresh  anguish  in  the 
depths  of  that  loving  heart. 

From  all  such  evils  and  sorrows,  and 
from  many  more,  the  righteous  are  deliv- 
ered at  death.  They  are  taken,  says  the 
prophet,  in  the  text,  "from  the  evil  to 
come."  No  more  conflict  with  sin.  No 
more  sights  of  wrong  and  oppression.  No 
more  trials  and  bereavements.  "  God 
shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes, 
and  the  days  of  their  mourning  shall  be 
ended."  The  furnace  of  affliction  has  been 
passed  through,  the  dross  is  removed,  the 
gold  is  refined.  "  O  !  that  I  had  the  wings 
of  a  dove  !  then  would  I  fly  away  and  be 
at  rest !  "  There  is  a  rest  for  the  people 
of  God — there  is  a  heaven  of  unutterable 


41 


joy  and  glory.  Sometimes  heaven  seems 
to  US  not  far  off.  Tlie  eternal  mansions 
seem  very  near  ns — just  above  us.  Espe- 
cially is  this  so  when  one  whom  we  loved, 
and  with  whom  we  had  taken  sweet  coun- 
sel, suddenly  leaves  our  sight  and  steps 
into  the  kingdom  of  glory.  At  such  a 
time  our  affections  are  loosened  from  earth, 
and  if  we  had  wings  we  would  stay  here 
no  longer.  Our  hearts  are  in  heaven  with 
that  sainted  spirit  whom  we  loved.  We 
almost  instinctively  turn  our  eyes  heaven- 
wards to  catch  a  view  of  his  radiant  form. 
We  dwell  on  the  wonder  and  the  joy  that 
must  fill  his  soul  as  the  glories  of  heaven 
burst  on  his  view.  We  listen  for  his  notes 
of  praise  as  he  strikes  his  harp  in  unison 
with  the  angelic  choirs.  At  such  a 'time, 
death  is  the  gate  to  endless  joy,  and  the 
language  of  our  hearts  is :  "  Come,  Lord 
Jesus !  come  quickly !  " 

To  this  church,  of  which  the  deceased  was 
a  member  and  a  Ruling  Elder,  God  speaks, 
in  this  severe  and  sad  dispensation,  most 
solemnly  and  loudly.     My  brethren,  ought 


42 

we  not  seriously  to  inquire  why  it  is  tliat 
God  has  visited  this  church  so  severely  ? 
Why  is  it  that  he  has  reached  forth  his 
hand  and  plucked  away  almost  the  very 
cap-stone  from  this  spiritual  edifice  ?  May 
it  not  be  that  God  has  a  controversy  with 
this  people  ?  There  are  some  things  in 
this  Providence  which  seem  dark  and  mys- 
terious ;  but  dark  and  mysterious  though 
they  appear,  we  know  that  all  the  circum- 
stances of  this  dispensation,  so  sad  and 
distressing,  were  ordered  by  infinite  wis- 
dom, and  that  they  are  all  just  and  right. 
Mr.  Adgek  left  this  city  a  few  weeks 
since,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  for  a  short 
northern  excursion.  Their  tour  had  been 
a  pleasant  one.  The  day  for  their  depar- 
ture from  the  North  had  been  decided 
upon,  and  their  family  and  friends  were 
looking  forward  to  a  speedy  and  joyful 
reunion.  Just  before  the  time  fixed  ujDon 
for  their  return,  he  was  taken  ill.  The  in- 
telligence from  them,  however,  was  far 
from  being  alarming,  and  not  until  the  last 
was  he  thought  to  be  in  imminent  peril.  All 


43 

that  the  skill  of  the  physician,  and  the 
sleepless  attention  of  a  faithful  and  devo- 
ted wife  could  do,  were  done  to  avert  the 
stroke  of  death ;  but  God  had  determined 
otherwise.  He  was  to  die,  and  to  die  away 
from  home.  This  seems  hard  and  per- 
plexing. There  were  many  who  would 
gladly  have  hung  over  his  bed-side  and 
helped  to  alleviate  his  sufferings  ;  and  if 
prayers  could  have  availed,  they  would 
have  gone  up  like  incense  to  the  throne  of 
God  that  his  life  might  be  spared.  But  in 
that  lonely  chamber,  in  the  hour  of  his 
extremity,  there  was  an  arm  stretched  out 
for  his  support  stronger  than  any  earthly 
arm — there  was  a  friend  near  him  dearer 
than  any  earthly  friend.  Vv^ith  the  full 
knowledge  of  his  critical  condition,  he  was 
calm  and  undismayed,  and  expressed  his 
hope  and  confidence  in  the  Redeemer,  and 
his  entire  readiness  to  die,  if  such  was  the 
will  of  God.  His  feet  were  planted  upon 
the  Rock  of  Ages.  He  passed  not  away 
from  earth  until  he  had  given  to  those  near 


44 


him  the  fullest  assurance  that  he  was  ripe 
for  heaven. 

"  Oh,  God  !  if  thy  decree  and  purpose 
be  that  I  am  to  die  away  from  home,  and 
even  in  a  strange  land,  let  it  be  so.  Let 
none  but  strangers  stand  around  my  dying 
bed ;  let  none  but  strangers  hear  my  dying 
words ;  let  none  but  strangers  prepare  my 
body  for  its  burial ;  but  give  me,  O  give 
me,  the  consolations  of  that  religion  which 
supported  him  in  his  last  hours,  and  I  ask 
no  more." 


Obituary  published  in  the  Charleston  Papers,  Jan.  12, 1854. 


OBITUARY. 

Died,  of  small  pox,  after  a  very  brief 
illness,  in  the  city  of  New-York,  on  the 
14th  December,  1853,  William  Adgee, 
of  Charleston,  S.  C. 

His  remains  were  interred  on  Sunday, 
18th  December,  1853,  in  the  family  vault, 
in  the  ground  of  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church,  in  Chai^leston,  of  which  church 
he  was  a  member  and  a  Ruling  iilder. 

The  circumstances  of  his  death  were 
heart-rending  to  the  surviving  relatives. 
May  God  enable  them  to  submit  to  the 
will  of  his  inscrutable  Providence,  in  de- 
nying to  all  but  two  of  them  the  sad  com- 
fort of  ministering  to  him  in  his  last  ex- 
tremity, with  that  intensity  of  love  which 
would  have  died  that  he  might  live.     He 


46 

died  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  in  the  mid 
career  of  his  usefulness,  and  his  death  has 
sent  a  wave  of  sorrow  over  our  entire 
community.  "How  is  the  mighty  fallen 
in  the  midst  of  the  battle." 

In  the  strife  and  bustle  of  the  business 
world,  and  in  those  labors  for  the  public 
good  of  which  he  cheerfully  bore  his  full 
measure,  he  went  side  by  side  with  others 
in  the  same  race.  His  brow  was  adorned 
with  the  wreath  of  success,  and  his  ac- 
knowledged rank  was  that  of  a  master 
spirit ;  yet  such  was  the  wisdom  and  judg- 
ment given  him,  such  the  blandness  of  his 
manners,  the  warmth  of  his  social  feelings, 
the  modesty  of  his  deportment,  and  the 
kindness  of  his  heart,  that  "none  knew 
him  but  to  love  him,  none  name  him  but 
to  praise." 

In  his  death  the  church  of  God,  and  all 
benevolent  and  useful  associations,  have 
lost  a  wise  head  and  a  warm  heart ;  the 
poor  and  friendless  a  kind  benefactor ;  and 
obscure  and  struggling  merit  an  efficient, 
generous  friend. 


47 

The  character  of  his  mind  was  eminently 
practical,  and  his  intellectual  endowments 
of  that  order  rarely  surpassed.  He  had 
all  his  powers  of  mind  at  his  command. 
Possessed  of  self-reliance,  and  of  almost 
unerring  judgment,  he  was  prudent  yet 
persevering,  wise  in  counsel,  cool  and  col- 
lected in  the  hour  of  danger,  and  of  the 
most  unbounded  energy  and  enthusiasm  in 
action.  Of  unbending  integrity  and  up- 
rightness of  purpose,  he  was,  perhaps,  as 
free  as  is  given  to  man  from  passion  and 
prejudice,  and  was  capable  of  the  sublim- 
est  of  all  the  virtues — justice  and  impar- 
tiality. 

We  are  at  a  loss  whether  to  admire 
most  his  energy  of  will  and  massive 
strength  of  character,  or  the  sweetness 
and  gentleness  of  his  aflPections : 

"  His  life  was  gentle,  and  the  elements 

So  mixed  in  him,  that  Nature  might  stand  up 

And  say  to  all  the  world,  this  is  a  Man !" 

If  he  was  a  model  which  all  may  emu- 
late and  few  surpass,  as  a  man  of  business, 
a   public-spirited    citizen,    a  large-hearted 


48 

and  laborious  man,  lie  was  also  a  briglit 
example  in  the  exercise  of  the  benevolent 
and  kind  aflections.  That  enthusiasm  which 
like  an  element  encircled  him,  and  with 
which  he  stimulated  and  bore  along  with 
him  all  with  whom  he  was  associated  in 
active  life,  was  softened  into  tenderness  as 
that  kind  heart  diffused  itself  in  all  the 
varied  scenes  of  social  and  domestic  life. 
Around  his  early  tomb,  we  take  up  the 
lamentation  of  David  over  Jonathan  :  "  I 
am  distressed  for  thee,  my  brother ;  very 
pleasant  hast  thou  been  unto  me.  Thy 
love  was  wonderful,  passing  the  love  of 
women."  Very  pleasant  hast  thou  been 
in  the  walks  of  business,  in  the  duties  of 
a  citizen  and  public  benefactor,  in  thy 
place  at  the  house  of  God,  but,  more  than 
all,  hast  thou  been  pleasant,  gentle  and 
affectionate,  at  the  fireside,  in  the  charmed 
circle  of  Home,  in  those  arms  of  Love  in 
which  parents,  brothers,  wife  and  children, 
held  thee  clasped,  but  from  which,  in  an 
unexpected  hour,  God  has  severed  the  en- 
dearing bands — and  pleasant  and  mourn- 


49 

fill  to  the  soul  in  the  sweet  memory  of 
Love  which  thou  hast  left  behind  thee. 
That  deep  river  of  Love  has  now  emptied 
itself  into  the  ocean  of  Eternity  ;  and  none 
but  the  hand  of  God,  which  dealt  the 
heavy  blow,  can  heal  those  broken  hearts, 
or  wipe  away  those  burning  tears.  Nothing 
can  enable  them  to  drink  their  bitter  cup 
but  the  submissive  spirit  of  the  Man  of 
Sorrows,  who  cried  out  in  anguish  :  "  Fa- 
ther, not  my  will  but  thine  be  done." 

Nevertheless,  our  loss  is  his  eternal  gain. 
He  died  as  he  had  lived,  strong  in  faith, 
meek  and  trusting  to  the  last.  He  knew 
that  the  hand  of  God  had  smitten  him,  but 
not  a  murmuring  word  escaped  his  lips. 
His  very  aspect  was  peace  and  resignation, 
and  all  those  lovely  graces  which  had  ever 
set  their  seal  upon  his  brow — submission 
to  God's  will,  thoughtfulness,  unselfishness, 
patience,  love  and  childlike  gentleness — 
were  now  refined  and  perfected  in  the  fiery 
trial,  and  gave  shining  evidence  of  all-sus- 
taining grace. 


50 


His  beloved  wife  having  sj3oken  of  bis 
situation  as  a  calamity — "Call  it  not  a 
calamity,"  said  be,  "  it  is  just  vvbat  I  need, 
and  was  all  arranged  long  ago."  At  ano- 
tber  time  be  said — "  I  wisb  you  to  know 
that  my  mind  is  turned  to  tbe  subject  of 
death,  and  I  am  perfectly  calm.  I  tell  you 
this  to  calm  and  comfort  you."  Again, 
being  asked  if  time  was  tedious  to  him,  he 
said — "  Ob  no  !  my  mind  is  fully  and  con- 
stantly occupied,  and  I  feel  very  calm." 
"  Can  you  say  you  feel  happy  ?"  ''  Yes,  per- 
fectly happy  !  ray  trust  is  in  my  Redeem- 
er." God  in  mercy  gave  him  a  clear  un- 
clouded mind  up  to  tbe  veiy  moment  when 
the  "spii'it  quit  its  mortal  frame."  "To 
abide  in  tbe  flesh,"  said  Paul,  "  is  more 
needful  for  you,"  but  "  to  depart  and  be 
with  Christ  is  far  better."  And  a  greater 
than  Paul  has  said — "  In  my  Father's  house 
are  many  mansions ;  I  go  to  prepare  a 
place  for  you" — "that  where  I  am,  there 
ye  may  be  also." 


51 

What  if  Death,  with  icy  fingers, 
All  the  fount  of  life  congeals, 

'Tis  not  there  thy  Brother  lingers, 
'Tis  not  Death  his  spirit  feels. 

Though  for  him  thy  soul  is  mourning. 
Though  with  grief  thy  heart  is  riven, 

While  his  flesh  to  dust  is  turning 
All  his  soul  is  filled  with  heaven. 

Spheres  above  of  Love  and  Glory 
Here  forbid  his  longer  stay ; 

Angel-Heralds  bright  and  holy, 
Show  his  willing  feet  the  way. 

Hark  !  the  golden  harps  are  ringing, 
Sounds  unearthly  fill  his  ear, 

Countless  ranks  of  Seraphs  shining 
Hail  his  joyful  entrance  there. 


